Don’t compromise. No “Oh well”!
Before I started the shop, I was in a different industry (apparel-related) and spent some time in Tokyo and some time in Fukuoka. I always liked ramen and ate ramen about half a week. At that time, I was shocked by the delicious ramen with shrimp broth I had in Nagoya, and I started thinking that it would be great if I could make this kind of ramen.
Mr Sano, Owner of Ebisoba Hissai
I wanted to work at that Nagoya ramen restaurant and went for an interview because there was an application for an employee. However, I was not hired because they did not accept the fact that I was thinking of becoming independent in the future.
I still couldn’t give up, so I spoke to them again, but the result was the same.
After that, I continued to look for a place to train with the idea of owning my own restaurant, and by chance I ended up working at ‘Aigoya’, which is now a restaurant in my current location.
After working there as an employee, I decided to set up my own business here.
The belief is that there should be no compromise. I don’t say, ‘Oh well’. Even when I make my own noodles, if I feel any discomfort while using them, I immediately remake them. There are times when I stay alone and make noodles in the middle of the night (laughs).
There are people in the same industry who offer amazing noodles, so I go out to eat and talk with them, and I get a lot of knowledge and inspiration from them. I continue to research and improve every day.
What challenges did you face before the introduction of the soup strainer?
We had to use both hands to shake the strainer net, which was hard work and we had to rely on male staff to do it. A ramen restaurant that we had a relationship with had introduced a soup strainer, so we had the opportunity to see (and learn about) what it was like.
Were there any innovations or difficulties from consideration to introduction?
When we first used the ‘strainer’, we were surprised at how fast it filtered. The amount of material removed increased, but it also contained fine solids. For better or worse, the soup was different from when I strained it by hand, so I was like ‘now what do I do’ (laughs).
(Laughs) We thought about how we could get a good soup while making the most of the machine, based on the premise that it would be different from the soups we had been making until now. It depends on the concentration of the soup, but in the case of our chicken soup, if there are too many solids in the soup, it will look bad, and if we have to strain the soup by hand again, there is no advantage to the machine. By adjusting the soup and making some adjustments before using the strainer, we have been able to strain the soup efficiently and satisfactorily.
We tested the machine several times during the one-week loan demonstration period and received feedback from customers.
Are there any changes before and after the introduction of the system?
The time required for straining has been reduced and the amount of soup that can be taken at one time has increased, so the number of times the soup needs to be cooked has also been reduced and efficiency has improved.
It used to be hard work to strain soup manually in the hot kitchen of a ramen restaurant, but since the introduction of the strainer we have been able to ask our female staff to do it.
I think that improving work efficiency is a very important issue for our future development.
What are your dreams for the future?
I would like more people to try Hi-Sai’s ramen. We have brightened up the interior of the restaurant to make it easier for women and young people to come. Also, most of our customers order the Shrimp Soba, but we also offer a limited edition menu that is very tasty, so please give it a try.
(On customer satisfaction) We always try to think about our customers and staff, but I think we probably score around 60. I think there is still more we can do and we will continue to do so.
First of all, I want to create an attractive shop that attracts more and more people to visit us! And we are also thinking about shop expansion and opening shops abroad.
Finally – what kind of presence do you have with Yamato Seisakusho?
The fact that we were able to borrow a soup strainer for about a week and test it several times was significant because we were able to have a demonstration on loan.
If I hadn’t been able to try it out, I might have just heard rumours about it and been somewhat satisfied with it.
I thought, “This is a company I can count on for support.”
